Acceptable Sacrifices by Tricia Owens

Author:Tricia Owens [Owens, Tricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-08-19T22:00:00+00:00

SEVEN

The silent alarm went off at 4:21 AM.

Maxmillian registered the flashing light against his closed eyelids and swiftly sat up. He swung his legs over the side of his cot. His laptop sat nearby on one of Harry's hard-sided suitcases, its monitor filling the room with pulsing light. Max clicked off the visual alarm and accessed the video stream from the motion detector cameras he'd installed on the exterior of Harry's house.

Night vision filters on the cameras allowed Max to see Harry's backyard in muddy green light. He had a view of the rock yard and the low wall that separated Harry's property from the flood control channel behind it. The scene was as stark and plain as a view of the moon, unremarkable except for the dark figure of a human crouched six feet from the camera.

Max doubted the man was alone. He wasn't a thief, since houses were easier to break into during the day when their owners were at work. This wasn't a robbery. The man—and whoever was with him—was casing the place in preparation for something more sinister.

Max scanned the green tinted screen to locate the intruder's partner or partners. The night was still. Lack of trees meant lack of movement despite the constant light wind that had been blowing since the early evening. Only the weeds danced. Max couldn't find any other bodies within the scope of the camera's view, so he focused once again on the figure near the camera.

He could tell from the flat chest and narrow hips that it was a man, maybe 5'8". Anything beyond that was a mystery. The trespasser was wearing all black clothing and a ski mask. He had climbed over the short stucco wall bordering Harry's property but had frozen once stepping foot inside the yard. He was waiting. Watching. Max had a feeling the man knew he was on camera.

Eyes still on the computer monitor, Max slipped his gun from beneath his pillow and hastily pulled on a nearby pair of pants. He shoved his feet into his shoes and quickly left the room.

He crept down the hall to the living room and paused at the corner, peering past the sofa to the dining room and the sliding glass door there. He watched for movement. When he saw none, he ducked low and swiftly rushed to the glass door.

He could see the intruder through the glass. The man's head was tilted back. He was scanning the house, looking for more cameras.

With his gun in his right hand, Max reached up with his left and silently unlocked the sliding door.

But either the lock had made a sound on the other side of the glass or the intruder noticed the movement. He straightened and spun. Max rose to his feet and yanked the door open. The man in the yard leaped back over the retaining wall and into the channel. Max ran to the wall.

Pursuit would be a waste of time, he saw with annoyance. The man had

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